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END RESULT

In the absence of CP3, the Hornets have found DC2.

With star point guard Chris Paul sidelined by a knee injury, rookie backup Darren Collison has filled in admirably and produced his first career triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to spark New Orleans to a 107-101 victory over the Pacers before 15,644 in New Orleans Arena on Friday night.

Coming to life in the second half as Danny Granger scored 21 of his 29 points, the Pacers cut a 19-point halftime deficit to four in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

IMPACT

The Pacers lost their fourth straight overall to fall to 18-36 on the season, 6-21 on the road. They also fell to 0-15 on the road against teams at .500 or better and 0-9 against Western Conference opponents. New Orleans improved to 29-26 overall, 18-9 at home.

QUOTEWORTHY

"We just did not get the job done in the first half. We dug ourselves too big of a hole and got it within reasonable range in the second half but didn't have enough." – Jim O'Brien

"We competed in the second half. We did not compete at a high enough level in the first half at all. It was unacceptable." – O'Brien

"We are not playing a consistent enough brand of basketball to win games we think we should be winning." – O'Brien.

"We just came out of the gates and just didn't do what we talked about in pregame meeting, how defending certain plays, getting back on defense. The whole night we never go the loose balls and that was really the difference." – Mike Dunleavy

"We kept fighting and kept fighting, but we just could not get over the hump." – Danny Granger

"We have to develop some consistency. We've been battling with that all year, we haven't got a handle on that, but when we do we will win more games than we lose." – Granger

KEY MOMENTS

Other than Roy Hibbert, the Pacers came out ice-cold early, missing 15 of their first 19 shots as the Hornets bolted to a 23-12 lead. Granger missed his first five shots, breaking the ice in the second quarter. Troy Murphy missed his first eight, hitting his first bucket in the third quarter. The Hornets' lead grew to 58-37 late in the half and was 62-43 at the break as the Pacers shot .333 and were outrebounded 32-19.

With Granger coming to life with 13 in the third quarter, the Pacers began chipping away and reduced the deficit to 83-71 heading into the fourth. T.J. Ford sparked a strong defensive effort in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter as the Pacers put together a 12-4 run to close to 87-83. The Hornets scored seven in a row to rebuild a double-digit advantage, 99-87, with 3:47 left, but Mike Dunleavy heated up to score eight in a row in a 10-2 run that brought it back to 101-97 on Granger's reverse layup with 1:18 left.

The teams traded baskets before the Pacers appeared to get a key defensive stop, forcing an airball on a drive by Marcus Thornton, but West grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled, making both with 24 seconds left to seal the verdict.

BY THE NUMBERS

Granger made 10-of-17 after missing his first five and finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Dunleavy hit 6-of-10, including 3-of-5 from the arc, scoring 15 in 22 minutes off the bench. Hibbert had 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Earl Watson and Luther Head each scored 11. The Pacers shot .433 overall but were beaten badly on the boards, 56-35, as the Hornets yanked 15 offensive rebounds. Murphy finished 2-of-13 overall, 1-of-7 from the arc.

West was 8-of-15 from the field and 13-of-15 from the line, racking up 29 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists for the Hornets. Collison actually flirted with a quadruple-double of sorts as he had eight turnovers to go along with his 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Peja Stojakovic scored 17 with eight rebounds, Emeka Okafor 13 with 13 rebounds, Thornton 12 off the bench and Morris Peterson 11. The Hornets shot .464 overall and had 27 assists but committed 20 turnovers.